Book Review: OLD MAGIC

Author: Marianne Curley
Number of Pages: 369
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: December 22, 2009

Kate Warren isn't your average girl. She has what her grandmother, Jillian, calls the gift. This includes feeling people's emotions, getting inside their heads, and performing spells. Jillian, who raised Kate after Kate's mother abandoned them both, has even greater magical abilities. Having always been an outcast, Kate is surprised when a boy moves to town that shows signs of also having the gift. His name is Jarrod, and he refuses to acknowledge anything magical at all. But when Kate and Jillian start suspecting that Jarrod's entire family line is cursed, things start to get interesting. Will Jarrod open his mind up to the fact that he just might have magical powers? And most importantly, can Kate and Jarrod lift the curse off of his family before it is too late?

At first, I wasn't too sure about this book. Jarrod's obliviousness and his inability to open his mind up to new ideas quickly grew annoying. However, as the book progressed on I started to like it more and more. Especially the second part of it- it isn't often that that sort of thing happens in books, so it was really cool to read about. (You'll know what I mean if you read the book.) I really liked how Jarrod's personality changed and grew as different events occurred, and how his relationship with Kate developed rather realistically. They went through ups and downs, just like actual people do in real life.

Also, I liked the fact that this wasn't your usual fantasy novel, filled with fairies and such. Although I have nothing against that sort of fantasy, it is always nice to see a different perspective on this genre. Even though this book is about magic and does include spells and sorcerers and such, it isn't what you think. It is written in a way that makes it more realistic, more believable.

All in all, this was a great read. Jarrod irritated me quite a bit, and the first part of it was sort of slow and a little weird at times, but the rest of the book made up for it in my mind.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL

Author: Justina Chen Headley
Number of Pages: 373
Publisher: Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 1, 2009

"It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.
She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?"
                                               - Goodreads.com

North of Beautiful is all about a girl with a port wine stain on her face. Since I didn't know much about this topic, I found this book very interesting to read. I found that I easily related to Terra (the main character), and I think a lot of people would be able to, because everyone has something about themselves that they don't like, right? I also found myself hating Terra's father, and I just wanted to scream at him: YOU ARE A TERRIBLE, NASTY PERSON!!!! However, I refrained from doing so, because there were people around. My favorite character was probably Jacob. You'll understand why when you read the book.

I loved Headley's writing throughout the entire novel. It's just so descriptive and she uses metaphors that truly make you think. I also loved how she incorporated the theme of mapmaking in many situations. It is a subject that isn't very common in YA fiction, but it was really neat to read about.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

I did have a problem with Terra and her relationship with her original boyfriend, Erik. Even though Terra really liked Jacob, and even though Jacob seemed to really like Terra back, Terra did not break up with Erik. HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I wanted to scream at Terra, but maybe not as loudly as I would have screamed at her father. I just couldn't see the logic in loving Jacob when you knew you had a boyfriend back home. Oh, some girls just can't think straight.

OKAY, THE SPOILER IS DONE!

Anyways, I have to say this was a very good book. Even though there were some things about it that annoyed me, I enjoyed reading it.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

More Books!

I recently took a trip to my local used bookstore and got this stack of books:

Nerds: How Dorks, Dweebs, Techies, and Trekkies Cans Save America and Why They Might Be Our Last Hope by David Anderegg

Alice In Charge by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Old Magic by Marianne Curley

I am excited to read all of these books. They sound so good, especially the first one.

Do any of you have suggestions for good books to read?

Later,

NutFreeNerd

Book Review: EVIL GENIUS

Author: Catherine Jinks
Number of Pages: 552
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: May 1, 2007

Cadel Piggott is not your average boy. He's got the IQ of a genius, and loves studying systems, computers, and anything technological. When Cadel starts doing destructive activities with his talents, he is sent to a therapist. This therapist tells Cadel that his father, Phineas Darkkon, is actually a brilliant, evil mastermind who plans to take over the world. His father sends him to the Axis Institute, a university that he himself created specifically for his son. As he earns his degree in Evil, will Cadel realize that what his father is doing may not be right, or will he be blind to both his conscience and his morals?

I don't usually read spy/mystery/techy books, but I have to say that this one was quite good. It was slow at the beginning (it took around one hundred pages to really get into it) but after that it was very interesting. There were tons of plot twists and little details that kept things going at a pretty fast pace. I liked how the characters changed a lot throughout the book- some for the better, but many for the worse. It's not every day that you read a book from the point of view of someone who "supports" evil, so it was neat to see how that really played out.Overall, this was a good read, and I look forward reading the sequel, Genius Squad.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

GUETAPENS

So, some of you may remember how I used to do a word of the day post on here. There is a guy that lives down the road from me who has this big sign in front of his house. The sign has big interchangable letters, and every few weeks or so he changes the word written on the sign. The words are usually random and not well known. I always look them up and I wonder how he decides which word to put up.

One of his most recent words was GUETAPENS. However, I was too busy to actually look it up for a while. I just did today, and I found that it was the word that the 2012 Spelling Bee Champion had to spell correctly to win, which she did. It means trap, snare, or ambush.

How cool is that? To read more about the Spelling Bee Champion, you can read this article from the LA Times here.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: SO YESTERDAY

Author: Scott Westerfeld
Number of Pages: 256
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: September 13, 2004

When Hunter comes across Jen, attracted to her creative way of tying her shoes, he has know idea of the adventure that is about to unfold. Hunter is a Cool Hunter, or someone who walks the streets on the lookout for original and quirky ideas that may just become the new "cool" thing. Suddenly Hunter's boss goes missing, leaving behind her cell phone and launching a sequence of unusual and thrilling events that Hunter and Jen tackle full-on, if a bit hesitant at times.
I've read quite a few of Scott Westerfeld's novels, and I've loved them all. So Yesterday was no exception. This book was creative and had a subject matter unlike anything I've ever read before. The concept of Cool Hunters and Innovators is really interesting to read about because you can see how it relates to everyday life. (I would say that I am at the bottom of the pyramid, a consumer.) Hunter was a great narrator for the book, being both quirky but realistic and relatable, I think.
However, there was one thing that I didn't care for about this book, and that was the relationship between Jen and Hunter. I loved both Hunter and Jen as characters, but I think their relationship was very rushed. It does mention this in the book, but I think it could have been spaced out a bit more. Other than that, this book was great. Can't wait to read more of Scott Westerfeld's books!!!!!!
My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Definitely. This book is well worth reading!

Hugs,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL SERIES

 Author: Michael Scott
Number of Pages:
The Alchymest ~ 375
The Magician ~ 461
The Sorceress ~ 483
The Necromancer ~ 389
The Warlock ~ 380
The Enchantress ~ 509
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

"He holds the secret that can end the world.
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.
The records show that he died in 1418.
But his tomb is empty.
The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.
Sometimes legends are true.
And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time."
                                                - Goodreads.com

When I first picked up these books, I though they were going to be like any other fantasy book. Little did I know that this series was full of complex plot lines, characters with incredible depth, mythology that would make my head spin. There is just so much detail in these books. That's the main reason I didn't write my own summary for this one- there are so many tiny details that I had no clue where to begin.

There were so many things I like about this series. First, it was different from a lot of other fantasy books I have read (and trust me, I've read A LOT of fantasy). It was based on mythology, but not common mythology. There are many books out there that are based on Greek, Egyptian, or Roman mythology, such as the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Now, as much as I love Percy Jackson, it was nice to read about something different. These books were a little mixture of everything, but it was mainly based on the mythology of Atlantis, and how it fell. I found this extremely interesting because I had never really though about this side of mythology before.

Also, I liked how all of the covers are nearly as detailed as the books are. I mean, look at them! Each cover tells a story of its own, sort of leading you to wonder what the story behind it tells. These covers are also really neat because after reading each novel, you will understand (with a little thinking, of course) why the book is titled what it is. All these little bits and pieces of additional elements make these books the amazing series that they are.

Another thing I really liked about this series was how everything sort of came full circle at the very end. Since I am very picky with endings, I usually do not like them. However, I absolutely loved the ending of this series. Everything came to a close, and most importantly, it made sense according to what happened in the book.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) I rate this entire series 5 out of 5 stars.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: THE OUTCASTS OF 19 SCHUYLER PLACE

Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Number of Pages: 304
Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: January 1, 2004

The summer Margaret Rose Kane is sent to Camp Talequa is the summer in which everything will change for her. When her Uncles rescue her from this monarchy of a summer camp, she finds that not everything is okay. Her uncles are being awfully strange, with their avoidance of maintaining the Towers' breathtaking appearance and their irritable attitudes. What is the cause of these unusual changes? Will Margaret be able to make everything normal again?

I absolutely love this book. Seriously. I've read it about four or five times, and every time I read it I fall in love with it all over again. E. L. Konigsburg's writing style is so great- it's descriptive, witty, and very realistic. I've read most of her books, and they are all well worth reading.

This book holds a story that is fun and unique. It captures the cruelness of tween girls and the unfairness of the world with surprising accuracy. I found myself laughing out loud at parts because Konigsburg knows how to make her readers chuckle. Overall, this is an amazing read.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0)

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd